Bangladesh duped by rain

MORATUWA, Colombo, Jan 16: Bangladesh defeated Holland by five wickets, but rain ruined their hopes of moving into the next round of the World Youth Cricket Championship at the Moratuwa Ground today.

Bangladesh needed two things today to stay in the race-- a convincing win against Holland and a defeat of the group-mates New Zealand against India. But the irony was that the two were achieved yet Bangladesh could not advance into the Super Eight from Group B.

A brief intervention of the Kiwi Rain God enabled the men from down under to maintain a better run-rate over Bangladesh and to pip them at the post. Despite a 28 run defeat at Galle, New Zealanders scraped through, albeit managing the same three points like Bangladesh.

Incidentally this is for the second consecutive occasion that Bangladesh have failed to make it to the Super Eight due to poor run-rate.

At the Moratuwa Ground, Bangladesh tried their best to beat all the odds. Sky opened up all of a sudden when Bangladesh, chasing a modest Holland total of 137 all out in 46.5 overs, were cruising comfortably with 111 for five in the 24th over.

Their misery was compounded when an unsporting Holland left-arm spinner K Kout hurled down the last two deliveries wide down the leg side. By then rain was coming down heavily, forcing Sri Lankan umpire Philip Mendis to call off the match, with one ball of that eventful over left. According to the tournament by-laws there should be at least 25 overs to be played to decide a match.

Although the deceitful Dutch failed to deny Bangladesh a deserving victory, but by the time the match resumed Bangladesh were robbed off their net run-rate by the wicked Duckworth-Lewis method for a curtailed match.

The match restarted after one hour and Bangladesh were given a revised target of 118 runs in 35 overs, which means they required only seven runs from 11.1 overs. Rajin and Kuntal needed only four balls to finish off the match.

But that victory could hardly delighted the Bangladeshis when the result from Galle was announced: New Zealand, chasing India's 199 all out in 44 overs, were all out for 171 runs in 49 overs.

Bangladesh were however not the only victim of the Duckworth-Lewis method.

South Africa, a top bet in the meet, were eliminated from the Championship race without playing a single match.

The hosts of the inaugural edition two years back got the shock of their life when their match against Pakistan was rained out at Kurunagala. They ended up with three points from no-result matches, one adrift of surprise-setter Nepal.

Nepal, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat Kenya today to emerge as group champions ahead of Pakistan.

Bangladesh will now play in the consolatory Plate Cup along with Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia. Their first match against Namibia is on January 19 at Matura, some 150 km away from Colombo.